‘Serious risk to life': scenic Isle of Wight road could fall into sea, warns council

The Guardian

4 days ago

It is considered one of the most scenic routes in the UK, an 11-mile stretch of road that skirts the coastal cliffs and enjoys sweeping views of the Channel.
The problem is that Military Road on the southern coast of the Isle of Wight is getting just a little too close to those plunging cliffs for comfort.
Fears are being raised that erosion has left the road just a few metres from the cliffs – in some parts less than 5 metres – and lives could be in danger.
Becca Cameron, a councillor who called a public meeting on the situation, said urgent safety measures were needed to prevent a tragedy.
'I feel there is a serious risk to life,' she said. 'Drone footage shows how serious the risk is and how close the cliff is to the road. When a bus passes over the cliff, you can feel the vibrations. We have no warning system if the road collapses.'
One person who travels on the local bus that follows the route described parts of it as a 'rollercoaster'. Others called for the road to be diverted inland or for weight restrictions to be imposed. Some local people want crash barriers and lower speed limits.
Military Road is the responsibility of the Isle of Wight council as the highways authority. It said the route was experiencing the 'real effects of geological erosion.'
In the late 1990s it carried out work on a section running along Afton Down, which included bolstering the route's chalky foundations. But the council is worried over a stretch of about two miles between the village of Brook and a caravan and camping site at Compton Farm.
In a report published last year, the council said the issues were being caused by 'natural coastal erosion, and water coming off the downs and forming chines [a steep sided gorge] by wearing down the soft clay and orange Wealden rock.'
It added: 'A potential alternative option is to reroute this stretch of the road inland which would guarantee the route for a further 20 years or more.' But it warned this would cost more than £20m.
The Military Road was constructed in about 1860 to supply coastal garrisons and consisted at that time of only a narrow unmade track.
Almost a century ago, it was adopted by the Isle of Wight county council (a former incarnation of the local authority). The road was widened and certain sections were realigned because even then, they were threatened by cliff erosion. In more recent years the climate emergency and extreme weather events have exacerbated the problem.
The Isle of Wight council is keen to keep the route open because it connects communities and is also a major tourist attraction.
Visit England has advised people to visit before it is too late. It said: 'Running parallel with the west coast of the isle, the A3055 (aka Military Road) is a road trip that should be taken sooner rather than later, as erosion along the coast could see parts of the road disappear.
'The 11-mile route may be short, but it offers a wealth of sweeping ocean views and memorable country landscapes.'